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I’ve uploaded three new free books to the site (blurbs and links below). As always, these are completely free, but if you like them please feel free to visit the Cookie Jar and tip me <grin>.

Shifting Sands will probably not be revised. It was, in many ways, the early version of Schooled In Magic and, as such, would need to be revamped completely before it could be revised. The other two may be revised at some later date, if you’re interested.

On an alternate world, the Brotherhood of Mages has a problem. Their control over the sprites – magical creatures that must do their bidding – is slipping. Magic is going out of their world and, in the wake of its slow departure, barbarian tribes are encroaching on what remains of their civilisation. And then one Brother has an idea. They can summon someone to help them.

Alex, a teacher from our world, finds herself in a land dominated by magic, a barbarian world unaware of even the simplest laws of science. Trapped, threatened with enslavement or death, Alex must struggle to build a new life for herself, fighting to introduce a whole new way of thinking.

But the sandstorms are advancing and, behind them, the barbarian hordes. If she fails, the whole world will be buried forever, lost beneath the sands.

Ever since the death of King Arthur, Merlin, the first-born son of Satan Himself, has ruled the world. For a thousand years, science and sorcery have co-existed, creating a world where railways run beside unicorns, while dragons fly through the sky and mermaids swim alongside steamships in the great oceans. Humanity lives beside the supernatural world, enjoying a peace that has endured ever since the Empire was created. But now Merlin’s time is running out…

When Merlin departs, anarchy threatens to destroy the Empire. The Great Lords see a chance to claim supreme power; Commoners fight for the right to be free, while dark sorcerers launch a brutal war to claim the Empire.

But all of those threats are only the beginning. Without Merlin, countless natural balances have been overturned. And the Human Race may be about to pay the price for his crimes…

In the year 2100, humanity has finally started to reach out towards the stars. The moon is strewn with colonies and outposts, Mars is slowly being terraformed and human explorers have reached as far as Pluto and beyond. The asteroid belt teems with life, technology is slowly solving all of humanity’s ills, and the first starship is being readied for its historic journey to a new world. And then everything changes…

Samra Hussein, an Astronomer, discovered the alien fleet heading towards the Solar System. She thinks the aliens cannot be hostile; they have come a very long way to meet the human race. She’s in for a surprise…

The President of America is grappling with the problems caused by humanity’s advances into space. There are increasing tensions between the Great Powers, rebellious tendencies on the moon, and the Rockrats flout the Great Powers on a regular basis. The alien contact seems to herald the dawn of a brand new age…

Captain Christopher Fardell, United States Army, was fighting the endless war against the Wreckers when he heard the news. Little does he know that he’s about to be on the frontline of a war out of nightmares…

Jake Ellsworth, a Rockrat out in the belt, only wants to make money and a life for himself away from Earth. The aliens, he reasons, will be friendly; interstellar war can’t be economic, right?

All Markus Wilhelm wants to do is marry his girlfriend and live his life with her. His life is safe and cosy; he thinks that nothing can go wrong. How could anyone harm them at the heart of America?

I’m not sure – Amazon doesn’t put out that sort of data without me having to dig through it and compile everything together. I’d say roughly 100’000 books, although it is hard to be sure. Chris Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 01:20:39 +0000 To: christopher_g_nuttall@hotmail.com

I really enjoyed thunder and lighting. Why didnt you try to make it a trilogy? Part one the aliens attack and invade earth, part two the colonies beat the aliens but end up killing all the aliens, part three earth attacks their home world but over the thirty year ride they loose their blood lust and make a treaty. The humans not wanting to go anywhere else colonizes their asteroid belt and none homeworld planets.
I think you are very gracious about the forgiving nature of humans in “thunder and lighting” and also “a learning experience” but both books were really really good. From what I have read in your books you seem to really like mercy. I think thats cool.

Mercy sometimes serves a practical basis. None of the aliens in either book are beyond redemption, I think. They’re not Borg or Bugs (or pre-Kratman Posleen). I’ve often considered redoing Thunder and Lightning. Do you think it’s worth a try? Chris Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 21:19:00 +0000 To: christopher_g_nuttall@hotmail.com

I think mercy in both books was the hard decision but I am glad that you did that, it shows you have more talent than some of the other writers out there. You dont need to shock your readers to make it interesting. Granted in a learning experience I think it opens more doors story telling wise than killing the aliens.
I think it would be worth redoing especially if you gave more insight in how mars, venus are being terriformed and the communities being built on them and around jupiter and saturn. not to mention how losing contact with earth and how that effects them.
I think the moon being ticked off at earth needs to be tempered by the other colonies who have to rely on earth. Vs the rockrats (great name by the way) who are pretty indifferent.
I would imagine that over all the colonies would be in a state of sheer panic when earth gets cut off since they really really need energy materials, and food especially if they are soft and not used to a diet of pure algae
Honestly I dont know of another author since Heinlein (maybe I need to get out more) that really told a good story about how earth colonized the solar system, but you throw in the monkey wrench of aliens showing up and messing all that up.
I think you should do at least two books, one where you have everything coming together a fully self sufficient moon and asteroid colonies that are profitable (making a lot more than what they are geting) and a bunch of other colonies who are reliant on earth but getting self sufficient, until the aliens show up and cut them all off from earth in a nasty war.
Then the second book will be how they all stand up (except for the moon I love what they did it was just so logical, I wouldnt change that) produce the best fleet they can so not just some secret military base, but all of them in one last desperate measure pooling their resources and people to fight off the aliens. You would have some who had access to stealth material and others who has access to more explosives so they would build their design based on the materials at hand.

Thunder and Lightning was really good. I thought that Samra Hussein recieved too much credit for the aliens discovery, she was taking a walk on the surface of the moon when the sighting was made. I think a sequel would be great. I would like to see those traitorous bastards on the moon get their comeuppance, espesially that skunk “president”. Hopefully a good relationship the with the rockrat will mame then irrelevent.